We're Friends
by bluesoulhero
Summary: Ben was alone, but he never thought he'd meet a friend like this.
1. Chapter 1

Tommy POV

My name's Thomas Marco, or just Tommy. I'm 15 now, and everything's been so crazy. I guess I should start from the beginning. One year ago, I was just an average 8th grader from Connecticut. Straight A student, despite having Asperger's, track runner, Martial Artist, and an Archer. My parents dragged me up to Massachusetts to see my older brother who went to boarding school. My older sister wasn't there because she and her best friend were out on College tours. When we picked him up, the four of us drove down into Boston just for fun. That's when the nightmare began. There was a big buzz about alien contact. The government decided not to use Nuclear Weapons at first because they believed that the aliens were friendly. They were deadly wrong.

I looked up at the sky, and next thing I knew, buildings were blowing up and people were running and screaming. I lost track of my family in the rushing crowd. Green aliens with six legs appeared out of nowhere. It was the most bizarre thing I've ever seen. Behind them were metallic bipedal robots. Needless to say, all police force resistance was squashed. I ran. I ran as far as my legs could carry me. That's when it happened. My parents were shot multiple times by those robots. My brother, now unconscious, was being carried away by the green alien. My entire being was burning with anger and sadness. I wanted nothing more than to drive a metal pole into those creatures. As much as I didn't want to leave them there, I had to run, and that was all.

It's been a little over a year. I was found by a small resistance, which has grown since them. And over that period of time, I became a fighter of the 2nd Massachusetts. I didn't need a gun. A bow and a quiver filled with arrows was all I needed. To better protect myself, a group known as the "Beserkers," customized all the arrows in the camp. Since I was the only one who used them, they're all for me. Anyways, the Beserkers who were formally led by Pope are the most crazy and hardcore people when it comes to killing Skitters. They took all my arrows and did some crazy things to them. Firstly, they equipped them with armor piercing heads so I can shoot through Skitter skin. They also gave me attachable bomb heads, so I can blow up Mechs.

It didn't take long for me to find out that my sister had been killed. What's more is that my brother, who was harnessed, was killed by the Mechs because of the Masons. Scratch that. A man on Tom Mason's squad freaked out when he saw his son Rick with a harness. To send a warning, a Mech killed a group of harnessed children, my older brother being among them. Funny thing is, is that throughout this entire invasion, I haven't cried once. It's been locked inside. I have no time to let it out. I'm alone. All alone. No friends. That's how it was, until I met someone who would eventually become my greatest friend.

It was noon, and I was doing recon in the city a few miles away from the airport we were holding up in. I was alone, as usual. I worked best going solo. It took a while to convince General Weaver, but I proved myself. My assignment was to check for possible routes to sneak through so we can get to Charleston. It was a long way, but we had nothing to lose, since Winter was on its way. I slid down a wet grassy field. I felt a pulsation in my head. I forgot to mention that I have a sixth sense. For me, I can sense when somethings around me. They come as pulsations, which intensities vary depending on who or what it is, how it is feeling, etc. This particular pulse was small. I turned, arrow cocked.

"Oh..." I sighed with relief. "It's just a cat." I wiped the swear from my tan face, and moved my hand through my black hair. The cat meowed and ran away. I felt another pulsation. It was way bigger. I turned and a lone Skitter was coming right at me. I let an arrow fly. The arrow pierced the Skitter's head instantly killing it. I pulled the arrow out of its head and ran off.

I decided to head back to camp.

I was sitting on top of a bus on look out duty. I felt an average human sized pulsation in my brain. It felt weak and wispy, so obviously this person wasn't having a good day. I turned my head. It was Ben Mason. I don't think he knew that he wasn't alone, since he sat down and started to sob. I closed my deep brown eyes and focused. The vibes he was giving off were made up of guilt and self-loathing. Then I realized why. It was because Jimmy, a boy my age, died in action. From what I heard, it was because he and Ben were off hunting for Skitters.

In a tussle, Jimmy was thrown into a tree and was pierced through the stomach. I felt sorry for him yet, it had no physical effect on me. It was like my family. It'd been over a year since they died, and I haven't let my emotions out once. I usually kept them under wraps through deep meditation. That's how it's been. I knew I was bound to die, but I wasn't going down without a fight.

Anyways, Ben's vibes were really starting to get to me, so I just blurted out, "It's not your fault."

Alarmed, Ben looked in my direction. In a hard tone, he answered, "Everyone's been saying that. You don't understand, so mind your own business." He got up and left.


	2. Chapter 2

Tommy POV

Why Weaver was making me do this, I had no idea. For the first time, I had to do recon in a group. It was rather frustrating. I was assigned to work with the Mason brothers. I decided to get over it. Being antisocial, I kept my distance. Hal actually tried to make conversation, though I wasn't really listening. He asked something about me having friends or something. "No." I told him. "I have no friends." He just kept talking. "So you're a loner?" I nodded. "That's the way I work best." He just kept talking on and on. "You know, you and Ben would really hit it off. You remind me of him in a way."

I just about had it with his small talk. "Don't mean to be rude, but can you give some space? Some peace and quiet would be nice too." With that, the one sided conversation ended.

We snuck around a few abandoned cars when we came across a factory being guarded by mechs. I was about 15 feet away from the others. I felt two pulsations in my head. I sensed them too late because when I turned, the bikes we rode in on were stolen by two people. "You've got to be kidding me." I said. Hal looked furious. "We aren't going back without those bikes." He motioned for me to follow him and I did. Ben on the other hand, had his eyes closed. "They're headed east." He said.

"And what makes you so sure?" I asked. He simply said, "I can hear the engines."

We followed the two thieves to a warehouse. Hal gave us nonverbal instructions to take another route. Ben took his gun and we were off. Ben and I silently scampered up some rusted stairs on the side of the warehouse. Checking that the coast was clear, Ben motioned me to go first. I felt multiple human pulsations. They were wavering. Was it fear? I couldn't tell.

We found ourselves standing above a group of kids, like us, and they had their guns pointed at Hal. Ben pointed a direction for me to go in, and I followed. "15 against 1?" The leader asked. "No." Hal answered. I cocked an arrow and aimed right for the leader's head. Ben, on the opposite side of the upper level was doing the exact same thing with his gun.

We had managed to get the bikes back. It turned out that the leader's, Diego, girlfriend, Jeanne, was Captain Weaver's daughter. It was quite the twist. I thought I'd be able to sit down and meditate for the rest of the night. That is, until I was dragged along back to the factory with a rescue party. I followed Margaret into the building. "Follow Tom's group." She told me. I nodded and went along. We saw it all. A tank filled with harnesses. They were swimming around in an orange liquid like bugs. I looked at a table. One of the kids was already harnessed. Down the row was Tom Mason's son Matt and across from him was Jeanne. A lone Skitter had its lizard hand on Matt's head. Tom snapped. He ran forward and started shooting at the Skitter. It didn't take long for the others to join in. I loaded and arrow and shot the Skitter in the head, killing it. "Nice shot Tommy." Tom said. "Thanks..." I answered back. Tom ran forward and killed the parasite before it latched onto Matt. Margaret came in with the rest of the kids and together we tied loose the rest of the group. We were about to leave when I saw something bizarre. Ben's spikes were glowing a bright blue. He was standing in front of the tank, his hand touching the glass. One of the parasites hooked itself onto the glass, trying to get to Ben. No one else noticed but Hal. At that point, Ben started to panic. I felt his vibes. They were of hate and fear. "Ben, wait!" I yelled. I was too late. He fired multiple rounds into the tank, causing the contents to spill everywhere. The kids were escorted out. The parasites slithered across the floor. We open fired on all of them.

I found myself back to back with Ben. Some of the parasites jumped at us. I shot them down easily. Being close to Ben made his vibes stronger. It felt like my brain was a drum being beaten to a pulp. When we thought it was over. Ben and I turned to each other. "Nice shooting." He said. "You too." I answered back. I felt an aggressive pulsation. Two, actually. A parasite jumped very high and was falling. It was closing in on Ben. "Ben!" I warned. He looked up at me and his eyes saw something else. I cocked an arrow and shot past his head.

Ben POV

I had to admit, Tommy had good shooting skills. I could see why he chose to use arrows as opposed to guns. "Nice shooting." I told him. "You too." He answered. I relaxed a bit. Of course, it was too soon. I saw a parasite jump from the floor. It was trying to latch itself to Tommy's back. I was gonna say something, but it'd be too late. "Ben!" He said in an alarmed voice. I took out my pistol and shot past his head right as he shot an arrow past my own. Moments later, two high pitched squeals died out. We saved each other from being harnessed. "Thank you." He said. "Don't mention it."

I was standing on top of the bus looking out into the darkness, when Hal confronted me. It was just small talk at first, until he said something I did not want to hear. "I saw your spikes glow."

"You're mistaken." I had to ignore it. I had to bury it away. "Just back off." I told him. He left me with a sullen look. I continued to stare when I heard someone else approaching.

Tommy POV

I felt Ben's vibes. They had a mixture of anger, denial, fear, guilt, sadness, and most of all, loneliness. I climbed on top of the bus. "A penny for your thoughts?" I asked him.

"Oh, it's you." He said monotonously. I sat down next to him. "So what's up?" I asked him.

"Cut the crap Tommy. Why are you really here?"

"Perceptive aren't you? Fine, I'll cut to the chase. Hal wasn't the only one who saw your spikes glow."

Ben was about to say something, but I cut him off.

"I'm not gonna tell anyone. Contrary to popular belief in the 2nd Mass, you're still human. You still have that basic right of privacy."

"Thanks I guess." He told me.

"Sure. I'll see you around." I said.

"Yep."


	3. Chapter 3

Ben had gone missing... again. I wasn't exactly worried. Sure he was my partner, but he could take care of himself.

I was mindlessly walking around when Hal approached me.

"Tommy, have you seen Ben around?"

"No. Haven't seen him since yesterday."

The look in Hal's eyes told me that he was not a happy camper at the moment. "Thanks. If you see him, tell him not to run off."

"Sure thing."

Lately, I've been getting better at distinguishing specific vibes. I can identify people, but only if I felt their vibes enough times. I also have emotions under better control, but they don't seem to come to me anymore. I think that ability grew into something more. I believe it's grown into the ability to enter someone or something's head. I can pick out words, emotions, intentions, and ideas within my target's mind. I'm also able to experience people's memories through their eyes. Ben jokingly dubbed my abilities, "Synchro Sensing."

It takes a lot of effort at the moment and it can really wear me down.

As I walked in circles on the perimeter of the camp, I felt Weaver's vibe pulse in my head. I turned around, and there he was, of course. "Tommy, I need you to go into town with Tom's Beserker group and investigate the explosions."

"Yes sir." I replied.

Charred Skitters was what we found. The smell of burnt flesh hung in the air. "This was no human attack." Dai said. I closed my eyes and focused my mind. I could feel the resonance of emotion. The words "revolt" and "hope" echoed into my head. I had no idea what they meant so I didn't say anything. I didn't need to, because I felt an unfamiliar human vibe coming from a Skitter's dead body. Hal had seen it too. A human with glowing spikes was being sheltered. "Ben!" Hal shouted. He called for his father and the others to help him. "That's not Ben." I told them. I was right. Under the dead Skitter was Rick.

There I was, on the medbus. Weaver wanted me to use my ability to pick things out of Rick's head. "That's a laugh!" He had told me when I was first assigned to 2nd Mass. "How useful!" He teased like a child. The irony of the situation was unbelievable. Anyway, I focused my sense and synchronized with Rick's mind. I guess calling my power the "Synchro Sense" was a good call on Ben's part. My head was reeling, but I pressed on. I found what I was looking for; The memory of what had happened. My mind's eye started to see what Rick saw.

"I see... a group of skitters... I'd say twenty of them." I informed with my eyes still shut.

"Anything else?" Weaver asked.

"I see Mechs... a Skitter in the middle of the group... and I see... no way..." I couldn't believe who I saw.

"What is it son? What do you see?"

It was Ben. Ben was standing with the Skitters, as if he was one of them! Suddenly, there was an explosion. The mechs and skitters scrambled around for cover but to no avail. They all burnt to a crisp. I felt a skitter grab me from behind and cover me with its body. I felt what Rick was feeling. I was worried, scared, angry and sad. The force from the memory ended my Synchronization, and knocked me to the floor. I opened my eyes and saw Dr. Glass, Lourdes and Weaver crouched around me. My head was swimming and my nose was bleeding. "Are you ok?" Lourdes asked me.

"I feel like I got jumped by a psychopath from the Crazies movie. Other than that, I'm A-Okay." I replied in a joking but weak voice. The girl cracked a smile and giggled.

"What did you see?" Weaver asked again.

"I saw... I saw..." Before I could say anything, Rick woke up and started to panic.

"How do we know if he's telling the truth?" Weaver asked Mr. Mason. "He could be leading you into a trap!"

"If my son's at risk, then I'm willing to take that chance!" Mason shot back.

I had completely forgot to tell Weaver about my vision. "If I may sir, I believe Rick is telling the truth."

"Based on?"

"What I saw in my vision. Ben was there, in Rick's memory."

That was all the convincing he needed. Before I knew it, were off having Rick lead us into town.

The day just got weirder and weirder.

"Ben? What are you doing with that thing?" I asked him. Ben was defending that red eyed Skitter.

"Tommy, please, hear me out. He's on our side. Put your bow down."

At that point, I didn't know what to believe. I refused to put down my cocked bow. I didn't want to shoot Ben. He was my partner, but my battle state of mind was telling me to kill the Skitter.

Then I felt it. The vibes coming from the Skitter made me lower my weapon.

"They're telling the truth. That Skitter is different from the others. Its vibes are pure and calm."

"And we're supposed to believe that?" A guy from the Beserkers asked.

"They're telling the truth." I repeated.

"That's bull." The guy said pointing his gun straight at Ben with full purpose. I synced with his mind and pulled out an intention to kill.

"Stop!" I yelled at him. I stepped in front of the gun. "Don't shoot them."

I heard a sigh of relief come from Ben, but the others weren't convinced. That is, until the Skitter started to talk through Rick.

In the end, we decided to take the Skitter back to camp and lock him up for questioning. Using Rick, the Skitter asked for him to speak to Mr. Mason alone. As we filed out, I was going in the direction of my cot to meditate, but Ben pulled me aside and led to the look out bus.

"What is it Ben?" I asked.

"I want to thank you for stepping in front of me."

"That's all? Jeez Ben, we're partners. That's kinda what partners do. I have a feeling that you'd do the same for me, as cliche as that sounds."

"I would, if you stop being so sarcastic all the time." He said teasingly.

"Not a chance, friend. Not one in sight." I replied.

Needless to say our conversation went on for a little while longer, that is, until I felt Weaver's emotional vibe. It came to me like a ton of bricks. The irritation and anger made my nose bleed.

"Woah, are you ok?" Ben asked worriedly.

"Me? Just peachy. You're dad? In a few moments, he won't be."

We bolted for the tent.

Ben ran to stand next to Rick when he saw Weaver's men pointing their guns at the Skitter.

"Tommy draw your bow." Weaver instructed me.

"I...I..." I stammered balling my hands into fists.

"Draw your weapon!" He ordered. I raised my left arm to pull my bow out of the quiver.

Ben looked at me, his face saying "Please don't do this."

"I can't!" I told Weaver. "I can't." I dropped my bow into the quiver holder and stood in front of Ben, again.

It didn't take long for Mr. Mason to follow suit. Next thing I knew, explosions sounded from all directions.

"It is as I feared. The death squad will kill us all." The Skitter said via Rick. I was going to leave to help fight when Rick grabbed my arm.

Again, through him, the Skitter said, "I sense you're ability. From my understanding it functions like our own. It is growing. More than just entering one's mind. Learn to control it even further. It will be of great use to you and the survival of your species."

After he said this, he broke out of the cell and escaped.

"How do you know!" I yelled after him.

Ben and I chased after him, I had so many questions about how he knew about it.

But, Rick stood in front of a shotgun as it fired.

"Don't shoot!" He yelled before the bullet penetrated his chest. He crumpled to the ground.

As a response, I loaded an arrow and shot the gun out of the man's hand.

Ben and I watched Rick die. "Tommy... listen to him. Your power, it can grow and change, unlike our own. Ben... make them believe... make them ALL believe." Those were his final words. "What does he mean? How does he know?" I asked Ben. He was just as confused as I was.

We moved out and holed ourselves up in a hospital that Hal's group found. I went up to the roof immediately. The stars were out, it was so relaxing. I felt Ben's vibes approaching.

"Hey Ben." I said without turning.

"You sensed me?" He asked sitting down next to me.

"No Ben, I have a cameras implanted in the back of my head." I told him in a light tone.

"That sarcasm..." He said irritated. "I'm gonna miss it."

The last part caught me off guard. I looked at Ben and synchronized with his mind. I pulled out an intention that scared me.

"So that's it huh?" I asked. "You're leaving just like that?"

"Yep. Sorry it has to end like this."

"We all have our own paths to follow I guess. But you have got to tell someone about this. Anyone, I don't care, as long as someone knows." I said in an absent voice looking at the stars. After a long silence I said, "You know, I used to always look at the stars. Always thinking about the possibilities my future may hold. I mean, one year ago, I never would've thought that I'd be a teenage invasion resistor who's only weapon is a bow and a surplus of arrows, and has a partner who is mutating into a supernatural psychopath." I finished out of breath.

"Ha ha! You sure talk a lot." Ben observed.

"We've been partners for a weeks and you just noticed?" I asked.

"Yeah... but I understand what you mean. So much as changed. I used to be a stereotypical bookworm. Glasses, polo shirts, Harry Potter Books and all. I kinda miss it."

"I know exactly what you mean. Yet, if this invasion never happened, I wouldn't have met you and everyone in 2nd Mass." I admitted. I unintentionally pulled an idea out of Ben's head.

It was a cliche idea, but I didn't know how to react to it.

"I don't know about that idea Ben." I told him. The look he gave me said, "I can't believe you heard that." He sighed and fessed up.

"It wouldn't be a bad plan." Ben assured. "It's so they all know that I'm not completely alone."

I was going to protest, but I felt Matt's vibes.

"Your younger brother's coming. I'm gonna go get some shut eye. Take it easy. Let me think on your offer. Sleep well." I said.

"You too partner." He answered.

I walked by Matt and patted him on the head. He smiled at me and kept walking toward Ben.

I opened the door to my room, entered, and locked it behind me. I sat on the bed with a lot on my mind. I lied down and stared at the ceiling.

Ben's idea was, "He's my partner after all. Maybe I can bring him with me. He'd be of some help and great company. Oh crud, I hope he's not syncing this..."

The last part still made me laugh on the inside. What a friend Ben Mason is. "Should I go? I think I'll sleep on it." With that, I closed my eyes and drifted off.


	4. Chapter 4

Tommy POV

I wasn't exactly mad at Ben when he took Karen and left. It really had nothing to do with me. But as always, I was dragged along whenever it came to search and rescue. As I kept stating, I know he's my partner but, like I always say, Ben can take care of himself.

The group followed his trail. I heard a single thought which led us straight to him: "She tricked me."

"This way!" I told my group. We arrived right on cue. Karen was about to stick a harness on Ben's back. I shot it out of her hand with an arrow while Tom blasted a skitter's head off.

The battle ensued, and it was not an easy one.

* * *

"So. How'd it go?" I asked Ben sarcastically.

"Cut down the sarcasm Tommy. Seriously." He replied.

I went through his head. I found thoughts and ideas that all related to escaping from the 2nd mass.

"No surprise..." I muttered to myself. It was a long way back to the hospital so I decided to get some shut eye.

* * *

Nightmares. They began as nightmares. Every night, I'd wake up with cold sweat gluing my bangs to my forehead. The ride back was the worst yet. I was there, people dying. Buildings exploding and innocents yelling and screaming for help. I also saw parts of unknown planets blow to bits. Alien life forms were being enslaved. On Earth, The 2nd Mass were being ripped apart and they were calling for me. But disturbingly enough, I was enjoying their pain. I'd sadistically laugh as they were being slaughtered.

I woke up with a start. Ben eyed me with a look of worry and confusion.

"I'm ok. It's all good." I assured him.

"In case you forgot, I have enhanced hearing. I've been hearing you wake up with a small scream for the last week."

"That's cool but creepy at the same time." I commented.

Needless to say, Weaver was pissed off when he found an overlord in the truck.

I actually agreed with Tom on this one. Who would pass up a chance to take an overlord prisoner?

In the little time we had left at the hospital, I made a decision. I found a pen and small note pad and placed them in my back pocket.

I was instructed to do a last minute sweep of the hospital for supplies. That was when my night when from bad to worse. These creepy crawlers ate through the metal vents. They moved so fast, I panicked and sprinted away, shooting arrows at the ones who got to close. Of course, luck was hardly ever on my side. Some idiot left an empty oxygen cylinder lying in the hallway. I tripped over it and hit my head. I mind was swimming and I couldn't move. I felt the crawlers creeping on top of me. One was about to bite me, when it backed off. It climbed off of me and screeched. The group withdrew. Without a second thought, I booked it.

Tom and Ben found me and told me to follow them. Tom instructed me to stand guard at the door while he and Ben talked to the prisoner. I decided to take this chance and poke through his head. I saw it. The memories. They were in my dreams. Countless other planets being decimated and conquered. I was snapped back to reality when I saw Ben on the floor shaking. I kneeled on one side while Tom pleaded with the overlord to stop. Ben was my friend, and this fish head had gone way too far. Anger filled my being. I swore to myself when we brought it in that if this fish head would so much as lay a finger on anyone from the 2nd Mass, I'd make it hurt 10 times over. Suddenly, the thing let out what sounded like a scream. My thoughts felt as if they were swirling into a smooth whirlpool. I felt as if my emotions were causing the overlord to scream in pain. It certainly drained me because I nearly collapsed when my thoughts stopped swirling.

The overlord addressed me through Ben. "So you are the one. The one who shares our gifts."

There it was again. How did they know? "What does it mean? Why does it matter?"

"That necklace... It's so familiar..."

I wrapped my hand around it to hide it.

"So it is you. I remember now. Thomas Perry Marco."

"How do you know my name?"

"It's because I was the one who altered your DNA to gain what you call a 6th sense. You were the only subject out of thousands to survive the abduction tests in 2010."

"What?" I asked with an empty voice.

"Yes Thomas. I was the one who conducted your tests. We wanted to test the full extent of your species. We abducted thousands of you and altered your DNA. Afterwords, we erased your memories and sent you back down to the surface. Within days, every subject perished from 'natural' causes. All except you. But, your turn out was far from what we expected. You kept your human identity. Our intention was to keep humans the way the were but alter their minds."

"No... it can't be..."

The overlord continued his conversation with Tom. He couldn't believe it either.

I was glad Tom shot the overlord. I mean... I was a their lab rat! My DNA was altered? I couldn't believe it. I felt sick. My sanity was slipping away. I couldn't do it.

* * *

I told Ben about what I was told.

"They did that to you?" He asked.

I nodded, still staring at the ground.

"I can't believe it..." Ben said.

"I was taken against my will... I was made into their lab rat. Who knows what could've happened if I didn't keep my human identity?"

Ben tried to soothe me. "That doesn't matter anymore. You're here. Right now. You're helping people. Just like me..."

* * *

Karen was pissed off. When she was kneeling beside her master, she looked around at us. She stopped her gaze on me. "Thomas! You're one of us! You must do something."

"I'm not one of you. I never will be."

She stood up and screamed,"YOU WILL OBEY!"

"I'm NOT you're lab experiment!" I shouted back, losing my cool for the first time since the invasion began.

She ran at us. She withdrew a switchblade from her pocket and threw it at Ben who aimed his gun at her. I stepped in front of him and felt an agonizingly painful sting in my abdomen. Time slowed down. I slipped to the ground and my head started to spin. I saw Ben restrain Karen. I felt people supporting me.

I dove in and out of consciousness. I guess this is it... I told myself.

Ben POV

She threw the knife at me as defense and out of anger. The moment I saw Tommy take the knife in his stomach. I almost lost it. Tommy was the only true friend I made since Jimmy's death. I was not about to lose another friend because I put them in danger. I restrained Karen.

We managed to work out a deal with her so we could make our escape. I helped Dr. Glass get Tommy onto the med bus. "You'll be ok. You'll be ok." I repeated to him over and over.

Lourdes was pale as instructed her.

"Anne... We have a problem." She said monotonously.

"What is it Lourdes?" She asked.

"Look at his blood cells."

Anne looked through the microscope and muttered, "This is bad."

"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

"Not only has he lost a lot of blood from his wound, he also has O negative blood. It'll take hours to find enough people to stabilize him. I'm afraid he doesn't have that kind of time."

"I have O negative blood. Use mine." I offered.

"Ben, you're the only one we have right now. You wouldn't be able to stabilize him without suffering serious side effects."

"Dr. Glass please! I lost one friend because of me. I don't want to lose another. You know I'm strong enough to get through it. Please trust me."

"Okay." She said.

"Hang on Tommy." I told him.

Tommy POV

I woke up in them med bus. I guess we managed to escape. It checked my watch. It read 6 AM. My abdomen was already closed up. All that's left was a scar. "It's true. They altered my DNA." Anne came in and studied my now healed injury.

"They genetically modified you to enhance your natural abilities." She observed.

"I'd love to know why though. I know there's more to it than what I was told." I commented. "So how'd you save me?" I asked her.

"I didn't. Ben did most of it. He gave you more than a forth of his blood to save you. He's outside if you wanna see him."

I thanked her, and found my recon partner staring at the rising sun. "So it was you huh?" I asked him.

"Seems that way." He said.

"Thanks. I owe you my life." I said flatly.

"No. You don't owe me anything. We're even." He told me.

"How?"

"You saved me Tommy. You pulled me out of the abyss I fell into when Jimmy died. So we're even."

_"Really?_" I thought.

"Yeah" He said out loud.

"Wait... how'd you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I thought the word 'really.'"

"Maybe your abilities are growing?"

_"I'm inside your head..."_

"I heard that." Ben told me.

"Weird. It's just you I can do that to. I mean, I can't talk to anyone else with my mind. Just you."

"Maybe it has something do to with the fact that my blood is inside of you?"

"It's too confusing for me to understand, so I'm dropping the subject."

"Good plan."

* * *

Ben walked down the trail away from the 2nd Mass. I slid down a hill with a duffel bag hanging from my shoulder. "Ready to go?" He asked me.

"Yep." I told him. I patted my quiver and arrows. In all I had 200 arrows with other supplies. I took one last look at the moving pack, knowing it will be a long while before I see it again. I left a note to Weaver about leaving with Ben to find answers to my questions.

"Just you and me now." Ben told me.

"Can't let my little Partner get into a scuffle without me." I teased.

"What happened to, 'Ben can take care of himself?'"

"This is different. Besides, I have questions that need to be answered."

"Then it's settled. Shall we go partner?"

"Let's go."


End file.
